When calculating the nutrient content of an average school lunch, do we need to leave out the additional bread?
Yes, the regulations state that the average school lunch for a school must be calculated by totalling the amounts of energy and nutrients provided by all school lunches in a menu cycle (except the extra bread). The additional bread (without spread) should be available on an unrestricted basis, as an additional item at lunchtimes to meet the needs of those children with greater energy requirements, where the average energy supplied by the school lunch was insufficient. The rationale for bread to be available as an extra is to encourage pupils to fill up on carbohydrate rather than high fat, high sugar foods. The extra bread should be made available in sufficient amounts for hungry students even if bread is included as part of the meal. Bread provided as part of a meal, should be included in the nutrient analysis. The extra bread (without added fat or oil) available on an unrestricted basis to meet the needs of children with greater energy requirements should not be included in the nutri
